lundi 29 décembre 2008

December Daring Baker's

This month's challenge is brought to us by the adventurous Hilda from Saffron and Blueberry and Marion from Il en Faut Peu Pour Etre Heureux.They have chosen a French Yule Log by Flore from Florilege Gourmand.

I had planned to make this yule log for our family/friend dinner on the 26th. I managed to make in two days and overall it went okay. I had some troubles with the creme brulee insert as it did not want to cook! I solved that by increasing the oven temp to 350F for 15 min and it set all right. It did melt really quickly when I was inserting it. I also ran out of mousse, I think my mold was too large. It was no big deal and I ended up dividing the mousse in two instead of three and poured the ganache over the feuillete instead of separating them.

I made the dark chocolate with milk chocolate version and it came out very well! Not too overly sweet and not too bitter. The ganache was oozing out while i was slicing it but it was contained within the chocolate glaze so I'm the only one who noticed it. It had a very rich and creamy taste but involved lots of efforts. Maybe it is only because I was rushing through supper service and cooking and stressing, but I felt at the time I wouldn't make this yule log again because of all the time it took. I won't cross this recipe out however, before I have tried it at a nice quiet 2 or 4 person dinner.

I am really tired right now and can't be bothered running after the pictures I took. (I forgot my camera and had to borrow a friend's who took it home with him.) AAAhh can't wait until the holidays are over! ... And planning next year's... =D

1.Finely mix the almond meal and the confectioner's sugar.2.Sift the flour into the mix.3.Beat the eggs whites, gradually adding the granulated sugar until stiff.4.Pour the almond meal mixture into the egg whites and blend delicately with a spatula.5.Grease a piece of parchment paper and line your baking pan with it.6.Spread the batter on a piece of parchment paper to an area slightly larger than your desired shape (circle, long strip etc...) and to a height of 1/3 inches (8mm).7.Bake at 350°F (180°C) for approximately 15 minutes (depends on your oven), until golden.8.Let cool and cut to the desired shape.

1. Soften the gelatin in cold water. (If using powdered gelatin, follow the directions on the package.)2. Make a Pate a Bombe: Beat the egg yolks until very light in colour (approximately 5 minutes until almost white).2a. Cook the sugar syrup and water on medium heat for approximately 3 minutes (if you have a candy thermometer, the mixture should reach 244°F (118°C). If you do not have a candy thermometer, test the sugar temperature by dipping the tip of a knife into the syrup then into a bowl of ice water, if it forms a soft ball in the water then you have reached the correct temperature.2b. Add the sugar syrup to the beaten yolks carefully by pouring it into the mixture in a thin stream while continuing to beat the yolks. You can do this by hand but it’s easier to do this with an electric mixer.2c. Continue beating until cool (approximately 5 minutes). The batter should become thick and foamy.3. In a double boiler or equivalent, heat 2 tablespoons (30g) of cream to boiling. Add the chopped chocolate and stir until melted and smooth.4. Whip the remainder of the cream until stiff.5. Pour the melted chocolate over the softened gelatin, mixing well. Let the gelatin and chocolate cool slightly and then stir in ½ cup (100g) of WHIPPED cream to temper. Add the Pate a Bombe.6. Add in the rest of the WHIPPED cream (220g) mixing gently with a spatula.

1. Make a caramel: Using the dry method, melt the sugar by spreading it in an even layer in a small saucepan with high sides. Heat over medium-high heat, watching it carefully as the sugar begins to melt. Never stir the mixture. As the sugar starts to melt, swirl the pan occasionally to allow the sugar to melt evenly. Cook to dark amber color (for most of you that means darker than last month’s challenge).2. While the sugar is melting, heat the cream until boiling. Pour cream into the caramel and stir thoroughly. Be very careful as it may splatter and boil.3. Pour the hot caramel-milk mixture over the dark chocolate. Wait 30 seconds and stir until smooth.4. Add the softened butter and whip hard and fast (if you have a plunging mixer use it). The chocolate should be smooth and shiny.

1. Melt the chocolate and butter in a double boiler.2. Add the coarsely crushed rice krispies. Mix quickly to thoroughly coat with the chocolate.3. Spread between two sheets of wax paper to a size slightly larger than your desired shape. Refrigerate until hard.

1. Heat the milk, cream, and scraped vanilla bean to just boiling. Remove from the stove and let the vanilla infuse for about 1 hour.2. Whisk together the sugar and egg yolks (but do not beat until white).3. Pour the vanilla-infused milk over the sugar/yolk mixture. Mix well.4. Wipe with a very wet cloth and then cover your baking mold (whatever shape is going to fit on the inside of your Yule log/cake) with parchment paper. Pour the cream into the mold and bake at 210°F (100°C) for about 1 hour or until firm on the edges and slightly wobbly in the center.Tartelette says: You can bake it without a water bath since it is going to go inside the log (the aesthetics of it won't matter as much since it will be covered with other things)....BUT I would recommend a water bath for the following reasons:- you will get a much nicer mouth feel when it is done- you will be able to control its baking point and desired consistency much better- it bakes for such a long time that I fear it will get overdone without a water bathNow...since it is baked in a pan and it is sometimes difficult to find another large pan to set it in for a water bath, even a small amount of water in your water bath will help the heat be distributed evenly in the baking process. Even as little as 1 inch will help.5. Let cool and put in the freezer for at least 1 hour to firm up and facilitate the final assembly.